Feeling grateful

Hi Everyone!

We'll see how I do on emails today, I'm under a little time pressure with a far-away dinner and 4 baptismal interviews right after, plus a companionship exchange for 24 hours with Elder Hurtado, but I'm excited to be busy, it makes missionary life a lot more fun!

I'm getting a lot more comfortable about the changes coming with our ward, we've talked to most of the active members on our side now and they're almost all committed to going to the new building.

With that at a little more rest, I'm going to try to focus on getting new investigators because our teaching pool is a little stagnant right now and my teaching skills have gotten rusty. We've got a couple investigators who are progressing well but I think we and the area can handle a lot more.

A cool thing going on is that a family being taught by the South Elders (the other side of the ward) decided last week suddenly that they wanted to get married and baptized, and do it as soon as possible. They were married by the bishop the day after they made their decision, and their baptism is scheduled for Wednesday!Those are the people I'm interviewing tonight to make sure they're ready, and I'm excited for it!

It's only the second time I'll have done a baptismal interview, the first one was for the Zone Leader's investigator last Thursday, and she was awesome and really prepared for her baptism.

The spirit really helped me out, which is good because all day I was worried and stressed that it was going to be really awkward and that the one-on-one setting would throw me off (you wonder when you've been within sight and sound of a companion for more than a year), but it went smoothly and I found out a lot by just a few inspired questions and listening.

I think it's really cool how they have missionaries do the interviews for baptisms, in a real sense it's preparation for being a bishop or branch president by being a "judge in Israel" and deciding if a person is really prepared and worthy for something. It was a very spiritual experience for me, and strengthened my testimony of the Lord lifting and supporting us when He needs us, because I was pretty sick with a mild flu and normally wouldn't have been able to do it.

The mission leadership asked us to tell our families to send any packages straight to our missionary apartments, not to the mission office, so just the normal address:

1325 Garfield St. #111
Denver, Co, 80206.

Thanks!

The Christmas season always brings a little bit of reflection about home and family as a missionary, my personal quart of eggnog doesn't replace it well and neither does actually having snow, but it's also one of the best times to be a missionary as you reflect on the spiritual blessings both you and your family have received from the Lord. I reflect on the sacrifice of our loving Heavenly Father and His Son, the things that it does for me and those I love.

Thinking about it that way I feel grateful and close to my family spiritually, if not in person, and it helps me understand the true meaning of Christmas. I hope you all have a great week!

Love,
Elder Damon Janis